CHOPARD Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition

As Official Timing Partner Porsche Motorsport since the start of the season, Chopard will also be alongside the German team for its big return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A legendary team and an equally fabled circuit will contribute to making this a new milestone in the history of motor racing. On June 14th and 15th, Porsche will be looking to earn its 17th victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Chopard is dedicating a limited-edition Superfast chronograph to this landmark event.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is unquestionably the most highly anticipated fixture in the FIA World Endurance Championship season.  In 2014, this legendary race will carry a distinctive flavour, since it sees the grand return of Porsche to this track that has brought the German team 16 victories, a still unmatched record. As Official Timing Partner Porsche Motorsport, Chopard is delighted to be associated with this major rendezvous that is already set to be a highlight of the 2014 season.

Porsche: the legend of Le Mans

It was in Le Mans that Porsche forged a significant part of its legend: having clocked up 16 wins between 1970s and 1988, the German team left an indelible imprint on the Circuit de la Sarthe. While Porsche first took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951, its first victory came in 1970, the very same year the film Le Mans starring Steve McQueen was shot. The victorious Porsche 917 K also came first the following year, before Jacky Ickx and Porsche jointly engraved their names on the winners’ list in 1976, 1977 and 1981 with a Porsche 936, and then in 1982 (the last of Jacky Ickx’ six Le Mans wins) at the wheel of a Porsche 956. That same 956 also came first in 1983, 1984 and 1985 before passing the baton to the Porsche 962 C, which won the 1986 and 1987 editions. The 1990s would see Porsche score four more wins, with a Dauer-Porsche 962 Le Mans in 1994, a Joest Porsche TWR WSC in 1996 and 1998, and finally, the very last victory in 1998 with a Porsche 911 GT1-98. Such is the exceptional track record that Porsche intends to enrich by this year’s return to Le Mans alongside Chopard, its Official Timing Partner.

Chopard and Porsche Motorsport: shared values

United by shared values such as the constant quest for performance and excellence, Porsche Motorsport and Chopard naturally gravitated towards each other around their passion for racing. Born of a joint desire to pursue reliability and innovation, the exceptional mechanics emerging from the Porsche Motorsport or Chopard workshops have significantly influenced their respective fields and remain benchmarks for aficionados of motorsports and watchmaking. 

The paths of Porsche and Chopard also meet in the story of another legend: Jacky Ickx. An exceptional driver who has put his name in the history books by feats achieved in several motorsports disciplines, and a longstanding Chopard ambassador, Jacky Ickx – nicknamed “Mr Le Mans” – can lay claim to six victories in this legendary case, of which four at the wheel of Porsche! 

Porsche Motorsport: the eagerly awaited return of a legend

This legendary dimension will be once more in the limelight on June 14th and 15th, at the 82nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 16 years after its 16th victory on the fabled track, Porsche will be making its grand comeback, with four cars competing: two Porsche 911 Hybrids in the LMP1 category; and two Porsche 911 RSRs in the GTE Pro category. Four cars that will roar off at exactly 15:00 hours on June 14th for two intense turns of the dial by the hours hand – all under the watchful eye of Chopard, Official Timing Partner Porsche Motorsport

Porsche Motorsport’s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in this configuration also signals the German manufacturer’s ambitions. New cars, new teams, new drivers, a new factory: Porsche Motorsport has opted to make its comeback to the FIA  World Endurance Championship this season in order to continue building the legend linked with its name.

Each weighing a minimum of 870 kg, the cars competing in the LMP1 category burn 30% less fuel while guaranteeing levels of intensity and performance on a par with previous models. 

According to 24 Hours of Le Mans organisers, never in the history of motorsports have regulations one so far in taking account of the challenges currently facing society in terms of sustainable development.

It is this same vision of the future and this same determination to push existing boundaries that drive Chopard in designing and developing its mechanical watches. Witness in particular the Superfast collection dedicated to motor racing, and of which Chopard is launching a special edition to celebrate the return of Porsche to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its 919 Hybrid. The Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition, a chronograph picking up several aesthetic features of the high-speed car from the German car manufacture, is issued in a 919-piece limited edition.

Welcome back !

As part of its collaboration with Porsche Motorsport as Official Timing Partner, Chopard presents the Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition dedicated to the new Porsche 919 Hybrid. This sophisticated COSC chronometer-certified flyback chronograph, picking up the design codes of the racing car, is issued in a 919-piece limited edition.

An encounter between two pioneering and avant-garde companies can yield some amazing results. Celebrating the partnership between Chopard and Porsche Motorsport in the FIA World Endurance Championship – which is welcoming back the German manufacturer after a lengthy absence – the Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition is set to make a noteworthy debut.

The partnership agreement between Chopard and Porsche Motorsport once again turns the spotlight on the sophisticated nature of the Superfast collection, a watchmaking icon from Chopard. Every inch as outstanding as Porsche racing cars, the models in the Superfast collection embody a wealth of superlatives while featuring the distinctive codes of motor racing. They are also a test bench for constantly pushing limits and implementing new procedures or innovative materials. Exactly how Porsche sees motor racing, as a “Lab for our visions”.

A sophisticated timepiece with exclusive finishing

The new Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition is entirely in tune with this approach. This imposingly sized chronograph with its 45 mm-diameter case and flyback function beats to the pace of a mechanical Chopard 03.05-M calibre, chronometer-certified by the COSC. This ‘engine’ and its oscillating weight may be admired through a sapphire crystal engraved with the inscription “Official Timing Partner Porsche Motorsport”. Inspired by the new Porsche 919 Hybrid, the stripes on the dial evoke the racing car’s rear diffuser. Likewise, the “919” appearing in a red rectangle inside a 9 o’clock subdial is identical to the number of the Porsche racing cars. Finally, the rubber strap is inspired by slick tyres serving to negotiate bends at extremely high speeds.

This sophisticated and powerful new Superfast chronograph proclaims a highly exclusive nature that is a perfect match for the legendary Porsche cars, since the new Superfast Chrono Porsche 919 Edition from Chopard is produced in a strictly limited 919-piece series reserved for those who are quick off the mark!